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REACH Having the Desired Effect

The REACH regime used in the European Union is creating a strong push for end users to substitute less-hazardous chemicals, according to a study conducted by Joel Tickner and Molly Jacobs from the University of Massachusetts Lowell Centre for Sustainable Production.

UN Meeting Under Way on Setting Date for Cluster Bomb Ban

The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits all use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of these devices, and took effect Aug. 1, 2010. To date, 119 states have joined the Convention. The Sept. 5-7 meeting aims to set a target date to achieve that.

Noise Safety Challenge Now Under Way

Hearing damage is pervasive, both from occupational exposures and from recreational exposures. According to NIOSH, U.S. business paid more than $1.5 million in penalties last year for not protecting workers from noise and an estimated $242 million is spent annually on workers' compensation for hearing loss disability.



CDC Scientist Wins Highway Safety Award

David A. Sleet, Ph.D., associate director for Science with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at CDC, who has done important research that helped bring about stronger child passenger safety laws, adoption of the national 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration standard nationwide, and safer airbag designs, according to GHSA.

NRC Issues Mid-Cycle Assessments

Of the 96 highest-performing reactors, 87 fully met all of the safety and security performance objectives and were inspected by NRC using the normal "baseline" inspection program. Nine reactors needed to resolve one or two items of low safety significance.

Seattle Contractor Fined in Fatal Trench Collapse

Harold Felton was killed last January when the dirt walls of the trench he was working in collapsed and buried him, and rescuers were unable to dig him out in time.

DARPA Hails Smartphone-Sized Radiation Detectors

The networked devices were developed as part of the SIGMA program, which began in 2014 with the goal of creating a cost-effective, continuous radiation-monitoring network that can cover a large city or region.

2017 VPPPA Regional Conferences Kick Off in April

VPPPA's regional conference calendar is packed in late spring and summer next year, starting with the Region IX conference in early April.

Celebrating Labor Day 2016

"The best way we, in the occupational safety and health community, can honor workers today and throughout the year, is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for every man and woman—young and old alike," NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard wrote in his Labor Day 2016 message.

#VPPPA33 Set for the Big Easy

New Orleans is a very popular destination and Louisiana is in VPPPA's Region VI, the biggest region, which encompasses Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

NHTSA Chief Sends Safe Driving Message for Labor Day Weekend

NHTSA has reported that there were 35,092 people killed in U.S. traffic crashes during 2015, which ended a five-decade trend of declining fatalities with a 7.2 percent increase in deaths from 2014, and its data showed a 3.2 percent increase in drunk driving fatalities -- with 10,265 such deaths in 2015, compared to 9,943 in 2014.

OSHA, Health Canada Develop Joint Workplace Chemicals Work Plan

The updated plan will align labeling and classification for the hazards of workplace chemicals.

Preparedness Month Begins with Floridians on Alert

"Disasters don't always occur when we are together with our family and friends, and so it is important to take a few minutes now to plan what you will do in the event you are separated," FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said.

$1 Million Awarded to Help Ohio Coal Workers Affected by Layoffs

The Labor Department has awarded the funding via a National Dislocated Worker Grant.

OSHA Appoints New Construction Directorate Chief

Dean McKenzie has more than 40 years of experience in construction, having started in the steel mills of Gary, Ind., as a journeyman millwright in the mid-1970s.

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